JP6624091B2 - Image processing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing device.

  Generally, an image processing apparatus including an image reading unit and a communication device has an image data transmission function of transmitting read image data to another device. For example, the image processing apparatus may include a communication interface conforming to TCP / IP, and may have an e-mail function of transmitting the read image data to another apparatus by e-mail communication via a network.

  Further, the facsimile device includes a modem, and transmits the read image data to another facsimile device by facsimile communication through a public communication line. The facsimile device is an example of the image processing device.

  It is also known that the facsimile apparatus reads a telephone number and a fax number printed on a business card and automatically makes a call based on one of the telephone number and the fax number (for example, see Patent Document 1). In this case, the facsimile apparatus automatically makes an outgoing call based on the fax number when the original is set in the own apparatus, and makes an outgoing automatic outgoing call based on the telephone number otherwise.

JP-A-6-244979

  By the way, in the transmission of the read image data, various communication methods such as the e-mail communication and the facsimile communication have both advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, the user needs to determine which of a plurality of communication systems to transmit the read image data according to the characteristics of the read image data and the like.

  For example, when the e-mail communication has a restriction that data exceeding an allowable data size cannot be transmitted, the user needs to perform a facsimile transmission operation on the image processing apparatus. In the facsimile transmission operation, the user inputs a fax number to the image processing device.

  Further, when the facsimile communication has a restriction that color image data cannot be transmitted, the user performs an e-mail transmission operation to the image processing apparatus in order to deliver the read image data to the other party as the color image data. Need to do. In the e-mail transmission operation, the user inputs an e-mail address to the image processing device.

  However, for the user, before performing an operation of transmitting data, a file management application is started to check the size of the read image data, and whether a color image is included in a part of the document to be transmitted is determined. Checking page by page is a complicated task.

  Also, inputting the fax number or the e-mail address to the image processing device is a complicated operation for the user. Also, it is desired to avoid registering a destination having a low data transmission frequency in the image processing apparatus in advance.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus that includes an image reading unit and a communication device that supports a plurality of communication methods, and that can simplify a confirmation operation for selecting a communication method and an input operation of a destination.

  An image processing device according to one aspect of the present invention includes an image reading unit, a communication device, a destination extraction unit, a type determination unit, and a destination selection unit. The image reading section reads an image of a document and outputs image data. The communication device can transmit the first image data obtained by the image reading unit to another device using a first communication method or a second communication method. The destination extracting unit performs a character recognition process on the second image data obtained by the image reading unit, so that a character string of a first destination corresponding to the first communication method and a character string of the second destination correspond to the second communication method. The character string of the second destination is extracted. The type determination unit determines which one of a plurality of predetermined types the first image data corresponds to. The destination selection unit selects at least one of the first destination and the second destination as a destination of the first image data according to a predetermined selection rule based on a determination result of the type of the first image data. .

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image processing apparatus that includes an image reading unit and a communication device that supports a plurality of communication methods, and that can simplify a confirmation operation for selecting a communication method and an input operation of a destination. Become.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the image processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of a data transmission process using a business card in the image processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a transmission destination confirmation screen in the image processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a transmission destination confirmation screen including a warning message in the image processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an image processing device according to the second embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments are merely examples embodying the present invention, and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[First Embodiment]
The image processing apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment is an example of a facsimile apparatus that performs a facsimile communication process via a public communication line 800. Further, the image processing apparatus 10 has a function of transmitting image data as e-mail data through a network 80 including, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) and the Internet.

[Configuration of Image Processing Apparatus 10]
As shown in FIG. 1, the image processing apparatus 10 includes a user interface 1, an image scanner 2, an image forming unit 3, a secondary storage unit 4, a control unit 5, a network interface 6, a modem 7, and the like.

  The user interface 1 includes an operation unit 1a and a display unit 1b. The operation unit 1a is an operation input device that receives a user operation, such as a touch panel or a push button. The display unit 1b is a panel-like display device, such as a liquid crystal display panel, capable of displaying information and images presented to the user.

  The image scanner 2 is a device that executes an image reading process. The image reading process is a process of reading an image of a document and outputting read image data. Note that the image scanner 2 corresponds to an image reading unit.

  The image scanner 2 includes a light source 2a, a scanning mechanism 2b, a light guide device 2c, an image sensor 2d, an AFE (Analog Front End) 2e, and the like. The light source 2a irradiates the document with light. The scanning mechanism 2b causes the light of the light source 2a to scan the original. For example, the scanning mechanism 2b includes an ADF (Automatic Document Feeder), a document table, and a light source moving mechanism.

  The ADF is a mechanism that conveys the document along a conveyance path that passes through a predetermined reading position. When the ADF operates, the light source 2a emits light from a fixed position to the reading position.

  The light source moving mechanism is a mechanism for moving the light source 2a along the platen glass. When the light source moving mechanism operates, the document is placed on the platen glass.

  The light guide device 2c guides the light reflected on the surface of the document to the light receiving portion of the image sensor 2d. The image sensor 2d detects the amount of light reflected on the surface of the document, and outputs a detection signal as an image reading signal. The AFE 2e converts the analog image reading signal into digital data. The converted digital data is the read image data.

  In the present embodiment, the image scanner 2 can output the read color image data including data of three colors of red, green and blue.

For example, it is conceivable that the light source 2a and the image sensor 2d constitute a CIS (Contact Image Sensor). In this case, the light source 2a includes a red light source, a green light source, and a blue light source that are sequentially turned on, and the image sensor 2d sequentially outputs image data of three colors.
It is also conceivable that the image sensor 2d is a charge coupled device (CCD) image sensor. In this case, it is conceivable that the light source 2a is a white light source and the image sensor 2d is a 3-CCD or 3-line image sensor.

  The image forming unit 3 is a device that executes a printing process for forming an image on a sheet by a predetermined method such as an electrophotographic method or an ink jet method. For example, the image forming unit 3 can execute the printing process based on the read image data obtained by the image scanner 2 and the printing process based on FAX data received from another device. Incidentally, the FAX data means facsimile data.

  The secondary storage unit 4 is an example of a computer-readable nonvolatile storage unit. For example, a hard disk drive or a flash memory is adopted as the secondary storage unit 4.

  The network interface 6 is a communication device that communicates with other devices via the network 80 in accordance with the TCP / IP standard. The image processing apparatus 10 can communicate with the e-mail server 8x on the network 80 via the network interface 6.

  For example, the image processing apparatus 10 can transmit the read image data as a part of electronic mail data. The read image data transmitted as a part of the e-mail data is transmitted via the e-mail server 8x to the terminal device 8y on the network 80 corresponding to the destination e-mail address set in the e-mail data. You.

  The modem 7 is a so-called FAX modem, and is a communication device capable of transmitting FAX data and receiving the FAX data through the public communication line 800. The image processing device 10 can transmit the read image data as the FAX data to another facsimile device 8z.

  The control unit 5 performs various calculations, data processing, and controls various electronic devices included in the image processing apparatus 10. The control unit 5 can exchange data and control signals with the AFE 2e, the secondary storage unit 4, the network interface 6, and the modem 7 through the bus 100.

  For example, the control unit 5 is realized by a processor that executes a program stored in advance in the secondary storage unit 4 or the like. The processor is an MPU (Micro Processor Unit) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). It is also conceivable that a part of the control unit 5 is realized by a circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

  The control unit 5 includes a main control unit 51, a read control unit 52, a print control unit 53, an image processing unit 54, and the like. The main control unit 51 controls the image processing apparatus 10 as a whole.

  For example, the main control unit 51 controls the user interface 1 to display a screen including various information on the display unit 1b. Further, the main control unit 51 acquires various input data according to an operation on the operation unit 1a. The main control unit 51 controls the user interface 1, the reading control unit 52, the print control unit 53, the image processing unit 54, and the like according to the contents of the input data.

  Further, the main control unit 51 has an e-mail function of transmitting the read image data to another device by e-mail communication via the network 80 by controlling the network interface 6. In the e-mail communication, the main control unit 51 executes a process of transmitting the read image data as a part of the e-mail data to the e-mail server 8x.

  Further, the main control unit 51 controls the modem 7 to execute the facsimile data transmission processing and the facsimile data reception processing by facsimile communication through the public communication line 800. The main control unit 51 transmits the read image data to the other facsimile device 8z as the FAX data.

  Note that the facsimile communication is an example of a first communication method, and the e-mail communication is an example of a second communication method.

  The reading control unit 52 controls the image scanner 2 to cause the image scanner 2 to execute the image reading process. The print control unit 53 controls the image forming unit 3 to cause the image forming unit 3 to execute the printing process.

  The image processing unit 54 performs various image processing on the read image data. For example, the image processing unit 54 can execute a character recognition process on the read image data. Further, the image processing unit 54 can also execute a process of extracting a predetermined registered image from the read image data.

  By the way, in the transmission of the read image data, various communication methods such as the e-mail communication and the facsimile communication have both advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, a user of the conventional apparatus needs to determine which of a plurality of communication methods to transmit the read image data according to the characteristics of the read image data and the like.

  For example, when the e-mail communication has a restriction that data exceeding an allowable data size cannot be transmitted, the user needs to perform a facsimile transmission operation to the conventional device. In the facsimile transmission operation, the user inputs a fax number to the conventional device.

  Further, when the facsimile communication has a restriction that color image data cannot be transmitted, the user performs an e-mail transmission operation to the conventional device in order to deliver the read image data to the other party as the color image data. There is a need to do. In the e-mail transmission operation, the user inputs an e-mail address to the conventional device.

  However, for the user, before performing an operation of transmitting data, a file management application is started to check the size of the read image data, and whether a color image is included in a part of the document to be transmitted is determined. Checking page by page is a complicated task.

  Entering the fax number or the e-mail address into the device is also a complicated operation for the user. In addition, it is desirable to avoid registering a destination having a low data transmission frequency in the apparatus in advance.

  As described later, the image processing apparatus 10 can execute a data transmission process using a business card. The data transmission process using the business card is a process for simplifying a confirmation operation for selecting a communication method and an input operation of a destination.

[Data transmission process using business card]
Hereinafter, an example of the procedure of the data transmission process using the business card will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  In the data transmission process using the business card, the target of the image reading process by the image scanner 2 is the transmission original 9a and the business card 9b. The transmission document 9a is the document to which image data is transmitted to another device. The business card 9b is the original on which the transmission destination of the read image data is printed.

  When the main control unit 51 detects a predetermined business card mode selection operation and a data transmission operation on the operation unit 1a, the process illustrated in FIG. 2 is started. Before the data transmission operation is performed, the transmission document 9a is set on the ADF or the document table provided in the scanning mechanism 2b of the image scanner 2.

  In the following description, S1, S2,... Represent identification codes of steps executed in the data transmission process using the business card.

<Step S1>
First, the reading control unit 52 causes the image scanner 2 to execute the image reading process on the transmission original 9a. Thus, the image scanner 2 outputs the read image data representing the image formed on the transmission original 9a.

  In the following description, the read image data obtained in step S1 is referred to as transmission image data D1. The transmission image data D1 is an example of first image data.

<Step S2>
Further, the type determination unit 51a of the main control unit 51 determines which of a plurality of predetermined types the transmission image data D1 corresponds to.

  In the present embodiment, the plurality of types include monochrome image data, color image data, allowable size data, oversize data, confidential data, and general data.

  The monochrome image data is data representing a monochrome image including only white pixels or black pixels, and the color image data is data representing a color image including chromatic pixels.

  In determining whether or not the transmission image data D1 is the color image data, the color determination unit 54a of the image processing unit 54 determines the color of each pixel in the transmission image data D1. The type determination unit 51a determines whether the transmission image data D1 is the color image data or the monochrome image data based on the determination result of the color determination unit 54a.

  The allowable size data is data that satisfies a condition of a preset allowable data size. The condition of the allowable data size is a condition indicating that the size is equal to or less than a maximum data size that can be transmitted as the email data. The oversize data is data that does not satisfy the condition of the allowable data size. That is, the oversized data is data that cannot be transmitted as the e-mail data.

  The confidential data is data including a preset confidential designation image D10 (see FIGS. 3 and 4). The general data is data that does not include the secret designation image D10. One or more confidential mark data Dc0 representing candidates for the concealment designation image D10 is stored in the secondary storage unit 4 in advance (see FIG. 1).

  In determining whether or not the transmission image data D1 is the secret data, the secret mark detection unit 54b of the image processing unit 54 executes a secret mark detection process of detecting an image represented by the secret mark data Dc0 from the transmission image data D1. I do. The type determination unit 51a determines whether or not the transmission image data D1 is the confidential data according to whether or not the confidential mark detection unit 54b can detect the image represented by the confidential mark data Dc0 from the transmitted image data D1. Determine whether the data is data.

<Step S3>
Next, the reading control unit 52 causes the image scanner 2 to execute the image reading process on the business card 9b. Accordingly, the image scanner 2 outputs the read image data representing the image printed on the business card 9b.

  Before the image reading process in step S3 is performed, the guidance output unit 51b of the main control unit 51 causes the display unit 1b to display a message prompting the user to set the business card 9b on the image scanner 2. When the guidance output unit 51b detects a start operation on the operation unit 1a, the reading control unit 52 causes the image scanner 2 to execute the image reading process.

  In the following description, the read image data obtained in step S3 is referred to as business card image data D2. The business card image data D2 is an example of the second image data.

<Step S4>
Next, the destination extracting unit 54c of the image processing unit 54 performs a character recognition process on the business card image data D2, thereby converting the character string of the fax number t1 and the character string of the electronic mail address t2 printed on the business card 9b. Extract (see FIG. 3).

  For example, the destination extracting unit 54c extracts a first destination title character string such as “FAX” or “Facsimile” and a second destination title such as “E-Mail” or “Email” from the business card image data D2. Extract character string. Further, the destination extracting unit 54c extracts a character string of a numerical value existing at a position corresponding to the first destination title character string as a character string of the fax number t1. Further, the destination extracting unit 54c extracts a series of character strings including "@" existing at a position corresponding to the second destination title character string as a character string of the electronic mail address t2.

  The fax number t1 is an example of a first destination corresponding to the facsimile communication, and the e-mail address t2 is an example of a second destination corresponding to the e-mail communication.

  Further, when both the character string of the facsimile number t1 and the character string of the e-mail address t2 have been extracted from the business card image data D2, the destination extracting unit 54c shifts the processing to the next step S5, otherwise. In this case, the processing is shifted to step S6.

<Step S5>
In step S5, the destination selection unit 51c of the main control unit 51 performs a destination selection process. In the destination selection process, one of the fax number t1 and the e-mail address t2 is selected as the transmission destination of the transmission image data D1 according to a predetermined selection rule based on the determination result of the type of the transmission image data D1 in step S2. Processing.

  In the present embodiment, the selection rules include the following six basic rules. The first basic rule is a rule that, when it is determined that the transmission image data D1 is the monochrome image data, the facsimile number t1 is selected as a transmission destination. The second basic rule is a rule that, when it is determined that the transmission image data D1 is the color image data, the electronic mail address t2 is selected as the transmission destination.

  The third basic rule is a rule that, when it is determined that the transmission image data D1 is the allowable size data, the electronic mail address t2 is selected as the transmission destination. The fourth basic rule is a rule for selecting the fax number t1 as a destination when it is determined that the transmission image data D1 is the oversized data.

  The fifth basic rule is a rule for selecting the fax number t1 as a destination when it is determined that the transmission image data D1 is the secret data. The sixth basic rule is a rule that, when it is determined that the transmission image data D1 is the general data, the electronic mail address t2 is selected as the transmission destination.

  The destination selection unit 51c selects one of the facsimile number t1 and the e-mail address t2 as the transmission destination of the transmission image data D1 by applying the six basic rules according to a predetermined priority.

  For example, among the six basic rules, the destination selection unit 51c applies the sixth basic rule first, the fourth basic rule second, and the second basic rule third. It is possible to do. Furthermore, it is conceivable that the destination selection unit 51c applies the first basic rule among the six basic rules with the lowest priority.

  After the end of the process of step S5, the destination selection unit 51c shifts the process to step S7.

<Step S6>
The process of step S6 is executed when the fax number t1 or the e-mail address t2 is not extracted from the business card image data D2. In step S6, the transmission control unit 51d of the main control unit 51 executes a temporary destination setting process.

  The destination temporary setting process is a process of temporarily setting the fax number t1 or the e-mail address t2 extracted from the business card image data D2 as the transmission destination of the transmission image data D1. After ending the process of step S6, the transmission control unit 51d shifts the process to step S7.

<Step S7>
The process of step S7 is performed after the process of step S5 or S6 is performed. In step S7, the display control unit 51e of the main control unit 51 causes the display unit 1b to display a transmission destination confirmation screen g0 as shown in, for example, FIG. 3 or FIG.

  FIG. 3 shows a transmission destination confirmation screen g0 when both the character string of the fax number t1 and the character string of the e-mail address t2 are extracted from the business card image data D2. FIG. 4 shows a transmission destination confirmation screen g0 when the character string of the fax number t1 is not extracted from the business card image data D2.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the transmission destination confirmation screen g0 includes the determination results r1, r2, and r3 of the type of the transmission image data D1 and the selected transmission destination t0. The determination results r1, r2, and r3 are a color type determination result r1 representing one of the monochrome image data and the color image data, a size determination result r2 representing one of the allowable size data and the oversize data, and the concealment. And a confidentiality determination result r3 representing one of the image data and the general image data.

  The selected transmission destination t0 is information on the transmission destination of the transmission image data D1 selected by the destination selection unit 51c in step S5. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the selected transmission destination t0 is the fax number t1 extracted from the business card image data D2.

  If the fax number t1 or the e-mail address t2 is not extracted from the business card image data D2 in step S4, the address provisionally set in step S6 is displayed on the display unit 1b (see FIG. 4). The provisionally set destination is one of the fax number t1 and the e-mail address t2, which is extracted from the business card image data D2.

  In the present embodiment, the transmission destination confirmation screen g0 further includes a business card image g1, an unselected transmission destination t00, a destination change icon g01, allowable size information r20, data size information r21, a transmission icon g02, and a cancel Icon g03.

  The business card image g1 is an image represented by the business card image data D2. The non-selected destination t00 is one of the fax number t1 and the e-mail address t2 that was not selected in step S5.

  The destination change icon g01 is an icon for receiving an operation of changing the transmission destination of the transmission image data D1 selected by the destination selection unit 51c. The transmission icon g02 is an icon for accepting an operation for determining the transmission destination of the transmission image data D1 and starting the process of transmitting the transmission image data D1 to the determined transmission destination.

  The stop icon g03 is an icon for accepting an operation for stopping the data transmission process using the business card.

  The allowable size information r20 is information indicating the condition of the allowable data size, and the data size information r21 is information indicating the size of the transmission image data D1.

  Further, the transmission destination confirmation screen g0 may include the color image position information r10, the confidential mark position information r30, and the concealment designation image D10 detected from the transmission image data D1.

  The color image position information r10 is information indicating the position of the color image in the transmission image data D1 by a page number. The color image position information r10 is displayed only when it is determined that the type of the transmission image data D1 is the color image data.

  The security mark position information r30 is information indicating the position of the security designation image D10 in the transmission image data D1 by a page number. The confidential mark position information r30 and the confidential designation image D10 are displayed only when it is determined that the transmission image data D1 is the confidential data.

<Step S8>
Further, the transmission control unit 51d of the main control unit 51 executes a destination setting process. The transmission destination setting process is a process of setting a final transmission destination of the transmission image data D1 according to an operation on the operation unit 1a.

  In the transmission destination setting process, the transmission control unit 51d can change the transmission destination of the transmission image data D1 selected by the destination selection unit 51c according to a predetermined change operation on the operation unit 1a. In the present embodiment, the change operation is an operation of clicking a destination change icon g01 on the transmission destination confirmation screen g0.

  When the destination change icon g01 is not operated, the transmission control unit 51d does not change the transmission destination of the transmission image data D1 selected by the destination selection unit 51c.

  If one of the fax number t1 and the e-mail address t2 is not extracted from the business card image data D2, or if the change operation is performed, a destination that violates the selection rule may be set. In this case, the display control unit 51e causes the display unit 1b to display the warning message g2 (see FIG. 4).

  It is conceivable that the destination extracting unit 54c cannot extract any of the character string of the fax number t1 and the character string of the electronic mail address t2 from the business card image data D2. In this case, the display control unit 51e may display an error message on the display unit 1b. Furthermore, it is conceivable that the display control unit 51e causes the display unit 1b to display a destination input screen, and the destination selection unit 51c sets the destination of the transmission image data D1 according to the destination input operation on the operation unit 1a. .

<Step S9>
Further, the transmission control unit 51d performs a process of transmitting the transmission image data D1 to the finally selected fax number t1 or e-mail address t2 in accordance with a predetermined transmission operation on the operation unit 1a. To run.

  After the process of step S9 ends, the transmission control unit 51d ends the data transmission process using the business card.

  Before performing an operation of transmitting the transmission image data D1, the user of the image processing apparatus 10 checks the size of the transmission image data D1 by activating the file management application, or a color image or a part of the transmission original 9a. It is not necessary to check page by page whether or not the confidential designation image D10 is included.

  Further, the user is not required to input the facsimile number t1 or the e-mail address t2 to the image processing apparatus 10 and to register a destination in the image processing apparatus 10 in advance.

  Therefore, if the image processing apparatus 10 is adopted, the confirmation work for selecting the facsimile communication or the e-mail communication and the work of inputting the destination can be simplified.

[Second embodiment]
Next, an image processing apparatus 10x according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 5, the same components as those shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals. Hereinafter, differences between the image processing apparatus 10x and the image processing apparatus 10 will be described.

  The image processing device 10x has a configuration in which the urgent mark detection unit 54d of the image processing unit 54 is added to the image processing device 10.

  In step S5 of FIG. 2, the destination selection unit 51c of the image processing apparatus 10x may select both the fax number t1 and the e-mail address t2 as the destination of the transmission image data D1 in accordance with the selection rule.

  In the image processing device 10x, the type determination unit 51a determines whether the transmission image data D1 is urgent data or urgent data. The urgent data is data including a preset urgent designated image. The urgent data is data that does not include the urgently designated image. The urgent data and the urgent data are examples of the plurality of types.

  In determining whether or not the transmission image data D1 is the urgent data, the urgent mark detection unit 54d executes an urgent mark detection process of detecting the urgent designated image from the transmission image data D1. The type determination unit 51a determines whether the transmission image data D1 is the urgent data or the urgent data depending on whether the urgent mark detection unit 54d can detect the urgent designated image from the transmission image data D1. It is determined whether there is.

  Furthermore, it is conceivable that the selection rule in the present embodiment includes a seventh basic rule shown below. The seventh basic rule is a rule that, when it is determined that the transmission image data D1 is the urgent data, both the fax number t1 and the e-mail address t2 are selected as the transmission destination.

  In the present embodiment, the seventh basic rule is applied, and both the fax number t1 and the e-mail address t2 may be selected as the final destination. In this case, the transmission control unit 51d causes the modem 7 and the network interface 6 to execute a process of transmitting the transmission image data D1 to both the finally selected fax number t1 and electronic mail address t2. However, if the transmission image data D1 transmitted with the fax number t1 as the destination is the color image data, it is transmitted after being converted to the monochrome image data.

  According to the present embodiment, when the transmission image data D1 is data to be checked immediately, the transmission image data D1 is transmitted via two routes. This can reduce the possibility that the data receiver may omit confirmation.

[Application example]
In the image processing device 10 described above, a part of the six basic rules in the selection rules may be omitted. It is also conceivable that a rule other than the six basic rules is added to the selection rule.

1: User interface 1a: Operation unit 1b: Display unit 2: Image scanner 2a: Light source 2b: Scanning mechanism 2c: Light guide device 2d: Image sensor 3: Image forming unit 4: Secondary storage unit 5: Control unit 6: Network Interface (communication device)
7: Modem (communication device)
8x: E-mail server 8y: Terminal device 8z: Facsimile device 9a: Transmission original 9b: Business card 10, 10x: Image processing device 51: Main control unit 51a: Type determination unit 51b: Guidance output unit 51c: Destination selection unit 51d: Transmission Control unit 51e: display control unit 52: read control unit 53: print control unit 54: image processing unit 54a: color determination unit 54b: secret mark detection unit 54c: destination extraction unit 54d: urgent mark detection unit 80: network 100: bus 800: Public communication line D1: Transmission image data (first image data)
D10: Secret designation image D2: Business card image data (second image data)
Dc0: confidential mark data g0: destination confirmation screen g01: destination change icon g02: transmission icon g03: stop icon g1: business card image g2: warning message r1: color type determination result r10: color image position information r2: size determination result r20 : Allowable size information r21: Data size information r3: Security judgment result r30: Security mark position information t0: Selected transmission destination t00: Non-selected transmission destination t1: Fax number (first destination)
t2: E-mail address (second destination)

Claims (6)

An image reading unit that reads an image of a document and outputs image data;
A communication device capable of transmitting the first image data obtained by the image reading unit to another device by a first communication method or a second communication method;
By performing a character recognition process on the second image data obtained by the image reading unit, a first destination character string corresponding to the first communication method and a second destination character string corresponding to the second communication method And a destination extraction unit for extracting
A type determination unit that determines which of the plurality of types the first image data corresponds to;
A destination selection unit that selects at least one of the first destination and the second destination as a destination of the first image data according to a predetermined selection rule based on a determination result of the type of the first image data. provided,
The first communication method is a facsimile communication method through a public communication line,
The second communication method is a method of e-mail communication through a network,
The first destination is a fax number;
The second destination is an email address;
The plurality of types include monochrome image data and color image data,
The selection rule is:
A first basic rule for selecting the first destination when the first image data is determined to be the monochrome image data;
A second basic rule for selecting the second destination when it is determined that the first image data is the color image data . The plurality of types include allowable size data that satisfies a preset allowable data size condition and oversize data that does not satisfy the allowable data size condition,
The selection rule is:
A third basic rule for selecting the second destination when the first image data is determined to be the allowable size data;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: a fourth basic rule for selecting the first destination when the first image data is determined to be the oversized data. The plurality of types include confidential data including a confidential designated image set in advance and general data not including the confidential designated image,
The selection rule is:
A fifth basic rule for selecting the first destination when the first image data is determined to be the secret data;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: a sixth basic rule for selecting the second destination when the first image data is determined to be the general data. The plurality of types include urgent data including a preset urgent designation image and urgent data not including the urgent designation image,
The selection rule is:
4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising: a seventh basic rule for selecting the first destination and the second destination when the first image data is determined to be the urgent data. 5. Image processing device. The selection rule includes a plurality of basic rules,
The destination selection unit, by applying according to a predetermined priority order of the plurality of basic rules for selecting at least one of the first destination and the second destination, according to claim 3 or claim 4 Image processing device. A display unit capable of displaying information,
An operation unit capable of accepting a user operation,
A display control unit that causes the display unit to display the determination result of the type of the first image data and the information of the transmission destination of the first image data selected by the destination selection unit;
The destination of the first image data selected by the destination selection unit can be changed according to a predetermined change operation on the operation unit, and the destination is finally selected according to a predetermined transmission operation on the operation unit. 6. The transmission control unit according to claim 1, further comprising: a transmission control unit configured to cause the communication device to execute a process of transmitting the first image data to the first destination or the second destination. Image processing device.

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